1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic rearview mirror system for automotive vehicles which automatically changes reflectance level in response to glare causing light, and more particularly relates to an improved automatic rearview mirror system using only a rearwardly facing sensor. This invention further relates to an automatic rearview mirror and vehicle interior monitoring system for automotive vehicles which also monitors a vehicle interior or compartment. This invention further relates to an automatic rearview mirror and vehicle interior monitoring system for automotive vehicles which may also be used as a vehicle intrusion detection system or as a compartment image data storage system. This invention further relates to an automatic rearview mirror and a vehicle lighting control system using an image sensor, such as a photosensor array.
2. Description of Related Art
Automatic rearview mirrors and mirror systems have been devised for varying the reflectance level of a variable reflectance rearview mirror by reducing the reflectance automatically in response to annoying glare light, as seen rearwardly of the rearview mirror or mirrors by a driver of the vehicle, and by increasing automatically the reflectance to a normal or maximum reflectance level when the annoying glare light subsides. These automatic mirrors have been changed over the years in an effort to improve their performance characteristics and associated level of glare protection.
Early automatic rearview mirrors used a rearwardly facing sensor and control circuit to change mirror reflectance. One example of such a xe2x80x9csingle-sensorxe2x80x9d type mirror is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,856. In these prior art single-sensor type mirrors, the rear glare light was incident on a rearwardly facing sensor or photocell, such as a photodiode, photoresistor or phototransistor. These mirrors suffered from various problems, however, including the problem that these mirrors would become increasingly sensitive and even xe2x80x9clock-upxe2x80x9d in their minimum reflectance level or state as the driver encountered significantly higher light levels in town or city driving. This required the driver to repeatedly adjust the mirror""s sensitivity control to prevent such problems.
To overcome the problems of single-sensor type mirrors, a non-rearwardly facing photocell for sensing xe2x80x9cambientxe2x80x9d light was added. It was believed that the desired reflectance necessary to relieve the driver from glare depended not only on glare light but also on ambient light. Accordingly, these xe2x80x9ctwo-sensorxe2x80x9d type mirrors used two separate photocells, one generally facing rearwardly and one generally facing forwardly (or other non-rearwardly facing direction) of the mirror or vehicle. The signals from these two photocells were then compared in some fashion, and when, for example, the glare light from the rear was comparatively high with respect to the xe2x80x9cambientxe2x80x9d light, a control circuit would apply a control signal to reduce mirror reflectance. Some examples are described in German Laid-Open Patent No. 3,041,692; Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 58-19941; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,601,614; 3,612,666; 3,680,951; 3,746,430; 4,443,057; 4,580,875; 4,690,508; and 4,917,477. In many of these prior art automatic rearview mirrors, light generally forward of the mirror or vehicle was incident on the second photocell.
These arrangements, however, also had problems. In some of these mirrors the forwardly facing or xe2x80x9cambientxe2x80x9d light sensor was inaccurate because it did not correctly measure ambient light levels since it did not include light generally rearward of the mirror or vehicle. Some examples include the devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,443,057 and 4,917,477. Other prior art devices overcame these deficiencies by providing a control circuit which correctly measured ambient light as a combination of both the forward and rear light levels. Examples of this significantly different approach are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,690 and 4,886,960.
The prior art two-sensor type systems generally provided improved performance over prior art single-sensor type systems but were also more complex and costly. In part, this was because using separate forwardly and rearwardly facing photocells required that the performance characteristics of the two separate photocells, such as photoresistors, be matched appropriately to ensure consistent performance under various operating conditions. Matching photocells such as photoresistors, however, generally involves complex, expensive and time consuming operations and procedures.
Both the prior art single-sensor and two-sensor type mirrors presented additional problems when they were also used to control the exterior side view mirrors. This is because such prior art systems used a common control or drive signal to change the reflectance level of both the interior rearview mirror and the exterior left and/or right side view mirrors by substantially the same amount. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,826, for example, a single-sensor type mirror system used two rearwardly facing photodiodes to control both an interior rearview mirror and the left and/or right side view mirrors based on the direction of incident light from the rear. Another example includes the two-sensor type system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,477.
In rearview mirror systems, however, each of the interior rearview and exterior side view mirrors may reflect different source light levels. More specifically, the inside rearview mirror, left side view mirror and right side view mirror each enable the driver to view a different portion or zone of the total rearward area. Of course, there may be some overlap of the image information contained in each of the three zones. The situation is further complicated with multi-lane traffic because each of the mirrors reflects different light levels caused by the headlights of the vehicles which are following, passing or being passed. As a result, in the prior art systems, when the reflectance level of the interior rearview mirror was reduced to decrease the glare of headlights reflected therein, the reflectance level of the exterior left and right side view mirrors was also reduced by substantially the same amount, even though, for example, the side view mirrors might not be reflecting the same level of glare light, if any. Accordingly, rear vision in the exterior left and right side view mirrors could be improperly reduced.
Other prior art two-sensor type systems used a common ambient light sensor and several rearwardly facing sensors, one for each of the mirrors. An example is the alternate system also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,477. This approach is not satisfactory, however, because it reduces system reliability and increases complexity and cost.
Finally, some prior anti-glare mirrors used several sensors to control the segments of a variable reflectance mirror. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,509, which discloses a single-sensor type mirror using three rearwardly facing photocells to control three mirror segments depending on the direction of incident light from the rear. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,883. These prior mirror systems generally have the same problems as the other single-sensor type mirrors. Some other anti-glare mirrors are generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,986,022; 4,614,415; and 4,672,457.
Consequently, there is a need for an automatic rearview mirror system for an automotive vehicle having improved reliability and low cost, which accurately determines or otherwise discriminates light levels that the driver will experience as glare without the need for a separate forwardly facing photocell. In addition, as noted above, there is also a need for an automatic rearview mirror system of high reliability and low cost, which accurately determines light levels that the driver will experience as glare, and which can control independently the reflectance of a plurality of mirrors according to the light levels actually reflected by each of the rearview and exterior side view mirrors without the need for additional and separate rearwardly facing photocells. There is also a need for an automatic rearview mirror system that can independently control the segments of a variable reflectance mirror while accurately determining light levels that the driver will experience as glare in each segment of the mirror without the need for additional and separate forwardly and rearwardly facing photocells.
One concern with automatic rearview mirror systems, as well as other systems having sensing, control or logic circuits located in the rearview mirror, is that differences in vehicle design and mirror field of view requirements may result in rearview mirrors having a variety of appearances (or finishes), forms (or shapes) and sizes. These variations generally require the re-design and re-tooling of a number of the components or sub-assemblies of the rearview mirror head assembly. However, it is generally desirable to reduce the number of components or sub-assemblies of the rearview mirror head assembly so as to reduce cost, product development lead time and manufacturing complexity. To achieve this in automatic rearview mirrors, as well as other systems having sensing, control or logic circuits located in the rearview mirror, it is desirable to locate the sensing, control or logic circuits and related components in a housing or module, which is attached, connected, made integral with or otherwise associated with the rearview mirror mounting bracket means or structure so that a common design of a mounting bracket sub-assembly for a rearview mirror may be used with a variety of rearview mirror head assemblies.
Vehicle lighting systems may include a variety of vehicle lights, including low intensity peripheral or side lights that allow other vehicle drivers to seethe vehicle in lower light conditions, high intensity headlights that operate in a low beam mode or a high beam mode for general night driving, and fog lights that provide low ground lighting with less back scattering to improve the driver""s views in adverse weather conditions, such as fog, rain and snow. Vehicle lighting systems may also include headlights having an intermediate or mid beam mode, as well as the low and high beam modes. Vehicle lighting systems may also include vehicle running lights, which are vehicle headlights that are operated at an appropriate intensity to improve the ability of other vehicle drivers to see the vehicle during the day. Vehicle running lights may also be used for lower lighting conditions, such as certain adverse weather conditions or other lower visibility conditions.
Thus, as the number of vehicle lighting options has increased, it has become more complex for the driver to determine the appropriate vehicle lighting configuration and to operate or control the vehicle lighting systems. Therefore, improved vehicle lighting control systems are required that may operate with other systems, such as automatic rearview mirror systems and vehicle interior monitoring systems, or as stand-alone systems.
Finally, unauthorized vehicle intrusion for the purpose of stealing the vehicle or its contents is a significant problem. Each year, automotive manufacturers are including vehicle anti-theft or intrusion detection systems on more vehicles to deter potential intruders and to prevent the theft of vehicles or their contents. Currently known vehicle anti-theft systems are generally designed to protect the vehicle or its contents from theft or vandalism. There are many versions of vehicle anti-theft systems using various sensor technologies that attempt to deter theft or vandalism using the horn, siren or flashing lights, or other alarm mechanisms to bring attention to a vehicle. As is known, existing intrusion detection systems for vehicles use sensor technologies that have various limitations, including the problem of false triggering. For example, in many cases active vehicle alarms are simply ignored by people who assume that the alarm was falsely triggered. The proliferation of separate automatic rearview mirror systems and vehicle intrusion detection systems is also costly. Therefore, vehicle intrusion detection systems using an improved sensor technology are required that operate in combination with other vehicle systems (such as automatic rearview mirror systems) or that operate independently.
Even with such anti-theft systems, recovered stolen vehicles typically provide little or no evidence of the vehicle thief. Therefore, systems are required that provide an image of the vehicle thief that would be useful to law enforcement and the insurance industry as an aid in identifying the person(s) responsible for the vehicle theft, and that operate in combination with other vehicle systems (such as automotive rearview mirror systems) or that operate independently.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rearview mirror system of improved reliability.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rearview mirror system that accurately determines light levels that the driver will experience as glare without the need for a separate forward facing sensor or other non-rearwardly facing photocells.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rearview mirror system of high reliability that accurately determines light levels that the driver will experience as glare, and which can independently control a plurality of mirrors or mirror segments according to different fields of view without the need for additional and separate rearwardly facing photocells.
According to one aspect of the present invention, using a photosensor array and an appropriate control circuit allows the elimination of separate forwardly facing or other non-rearwardly facing photocells, thereby allowing for lower costs and increased reliability since it is not necessary to match two separate photocells such as photoresistors.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves one or more of these objectives relates to a control system for controlling a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors or mirror segments which change their reflectance in response to a signal from a drive circuit. The system comprises a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors, a photosensor array and a control circuit receiving signals from the photosensor array for controlling the mirrors. The photosensor array is mountable to view rearwardly of the mirror or vehicle. The photosensor array comprises a plurality of sets of photosensor elements corresponding to the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors. The photosensor elements in each set produce a plurality of photosensor element signals in response to light incident thereon. The control circuit determines control signals, indicative of a desired reflectance for each of the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors, in response to receiving photosensor element signals from the photosensor element set for each view or zone corresponding to the rearview mirror and exterior side view mirrors and also (or alternatively) the mirror segments. The control signals control the drive circuit to cause the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors or mirror segments to assume the desired reflectance.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves one or more of these objectives relates to an automatic rearview mirror system for an automotive vehicle comprising at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror, and an array of sensing elements to sense light levels in an area rearward of the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror. Each of the sensing elements is adapted to sense light levels of light incident thereon and to output an electrical signal indicative of the sensed light levels. The system further comprises a signal processor, connected to the array of sensing elements, receiving and using the electrical signals indicative of the sensed light levels from the sensing elements to determine a first electrical signal indicative of a background light level in the area rearward of the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror and to determine a second electrical signal indicative of at least one peak light level in the area rearward of the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror. The signal processor determines at least one control signal indicative of the desired reflectance level of the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror from the first electrical signal indicative of the background light level and the second electrical signal indicative of the at least one peak light level. The system further comprises at least one drive circuit connected to the signal processor and to the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror for receiving the at least one control signal and generating and applying at least one drive signal to the at least one variable reflectance rearview mirror to drive the at least one variable reflectance mirror to the desired reflectance level.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves one or more of these objectives relates to a control system for controlling a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors, each of which change their reflectance level in response to a drive signal from an associated drive circuit, for an automotive vehicle. The system comprises a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors, and a photosensor array mountable to face substantially towards a rear area. The photosensor array comprises a plurality of photosensor element sets. Each set comprises a plurality of photosensor elements. Each of the photosensor elements generates a photosensor element signal indicative of a light level of light incident thereon, and each of the sets corresponds to one of the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors. The system further comprises a control circuit, connected to the photosensor array, for determining and applying a plurality of control signals. Each of the control signals is indicative of a desired reflectance level for each of the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors in response to receiving the photosensor element signals from each of the plurality of photosensor element sets. The system further comprises a plurality of drive circuits connected to the control circuit and to different ones of the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors associated therewith. Each of the control signals is output to the drive circuit associated therewith, to generate and apply a drive signal to each of the plurality of variable reflectance mirrors causing each of the mirrors to assume a desired reflectance level.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves one or more of these objectives relates to a control system for controlling at least one variable reflectance mirror for an automotive vehicle. The system comprises photosensor array means for sensing light levels in an area rearward of the at least one variable reflectance mirror and generating photosensor array signals, means for determining a background light signal from the photosensor array signals, means for determining a peak light signal from the photosensor array signals, and means for controlling a reflectance level of the at least one variable reflectance mirror using the background and peak light signals.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves one or more of these objectives relates to a method of controlling the reflectance of at least one variable reflectance mirror comprising the steps of sensing light levels in an area rearward of the at least one variable reflectance mirror with an array of sensing elements, determining a background light level from the sensed light levels, determining a peak light level from the sensed light levels, and controlling a reflectance level of the at least one variable reflectance mirror using the determined background and peak light levels.
By using a plurality of photosensor element sets or sub-arrays on a photosensor array to control a plurality of mirrors and also (or alternatively) mirror segments, the mirrors may be controlled independently to vary their reflectance in accordance with the view associated with each of the photosensor element sets or sub-arrays.
According to another aspect the present relates to an automatic rearview mirror system for an automotive vehicle comprising a variable reflectance rearview mirror, a photosensor array means for sensing light levels in an area rearward of said variable reflectance rearview mirror and for generating photosensor array signals, a signal processing means for receiving said photosensor array signals and for determining from said photosensor array signals a signal for controlling said variable reflectance rearview mirror, and a mounting bracket means for attaching said variable reflectance rearview mirror to said automotive vehicle, said mounting bracket means further comprising a housing means for housing said photosensor array means and said signal processing means.
According to another aspect the present relates to a vehicle lighting control system for controlling a vehicle lighting system in an automotive vehicle comprising a photosensor array means for sensing light levels in a forward field of view and generating a set of photosensor array signals, and a signal processing means coupled to said photosensor array means for receiving said set of photosensor array signals and determining from said set of photosensor array signals at least one control signal for controlling said vehicle lighting system.
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a control system for monitoring a vehicle interior and for controlling at least one variable reflectance mirror for an automotive vehicle. The system comprises photosensor array means for sensing light levels in an area rearward of said photosensor array means and generating at least a first set of photosensor array signals, first determining means coupled to said photosensor array means for receiving said at least a first set of photosensor array signals and determining from at least a portion of said at least a first set of photosensor array signals a first signal for controlling said at least one variable reflectance mirror, second determining means coupled to said photosensor array means for receiving said at least a first set of photosensor array signals and determining at least a first set of values indicative of said at least a portion of said at least a first set of photosensor array signals, and memory means coupled to said second determining means for receiving and storing said at least a portion of said at least a first set of photosensor array signals.
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle intrusion detection system for detecting movement within a vehicle interior for an automotive vehicle. The system comprises photosensor array means for sensing light levels in an area including at least a portion of a vehicle interior and generating at least a first set and a second set of photosensor array signals, determining means coupled to said photosensor array means for receiving said at least a first set and a second set of photosensor array signals and determining at least a first set and a second set of values indicative of said at least a first set and a second set of photosensor array signals, and comparing means coupled to said determining means for receiving said at least a first set and a second set of values indicative of said at least a first set and a second set of photosensor array signals and comparing said at least a first set and a second set of values to generate at least one output control signal indicative of the correlation between said at least a first set and a second set of values.
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a compartment image data storage system for an automotive vehicle. The system comprises photosensor array means for sensing light levels in at least a portion of a vehicle compartment and generating at least a first set of photosensor array signals, determining means coupled to said photosensor array means for receiving said at least a first set of photosensor array signals and determining at least a first set of values indicative of said at least a first set of photosensor array signals, and memory means coupled to said determining means for receiving and storing said at least a first set of values indicative of said at least a first set of photosensor array signals.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated with reference to the detailed description of preferred embodiments discussed below together with the accompanying drawings.